Featured links

Career planning

Career planning uses an ongoing process to help you manage and adapt your work and learning choices to your changing circumstances and to the wider environmental conditions. It can be used for all work and learning decisions, big or small.

Featured links

Finding a job

Finding a job after completing your studies or wanting to change your job can be a bit daunting. We can help you with our 10 step job search plan, information on preparing your resume, advice on how to write letters of application and how to prepare and perform within interviews.

Featured links

Tools and resources

Use career tools and resources to build up a picture of your skills, interests, values and occupational preferences. Keep this information in My career ideas and create your individual career profile account. Use your career ideas to help you decide on and plan for, your next work or learning activity.

Summary of occupation

Summary of occupation

Primary school teachers educate children between the ages of five and twelve in Western Australia. They plan and conduct educational programs that assist in the intellectual, physical and social growth of children, and aid the development of their literacy, numeracy and other academic skills. They prepare daily lesson plans that fit within wider curriculum requirements, and teach a wide range of subject areas including mathematics, English, science and technology, society and environment, health, creative arts and physical education. Primary school teachers are needed all over the state - from our busy urban areas to rural and regional centres and towns to remote communities in isolated areas.

ANZSCO description:

Teaches and coordinates a range of subjects within a prescribed curriculum to primary school students. Registration or licensing is required.

Working conditions

Working conditions

Primary school teachers work in classrooms in primary schools, but may also undertake their duties in school libraries, administrative areas, outside in the playground or sports areas, and outside of school during excursions, field trips, sporting events or camps. Working conditions may be noisy or stressful. They usually work regular teaching hours, but are expected to work longer hours to plan and prepare lessons, mark work, and attend staff meetings or school events like fetes or graduation ceremonies.

Tools and technologies

Tools and technologies

Primary school teachers use a range of educational resources such as white boards, workbooks and textbooks, audio-visual texts and equipment and a range of other teaching aids. They also use computers and other office equipment, and may also, depending on their role, use art and craft materials, musical instruments or sporting equipment.

Education and training/entrance requirements

Education and training/entrance requirements

To become a primary school teacher you usually need to complete an education degree majoring in primary education. Alternatively, you can study a degree in any area followed by the completion of a postgraduate qualification specialising in primary education.

Most universities in Western Australia offer relevant courses. Contact the universities you are interested in for more information.

Related courses

Apprenticeships and traineeships

As an apprentice or trainee, you enter into a formal training contract with an employer. You spend most of your time working and learning practical skills on the job and you spend some time undertaking structured training with a registered training provider of your choice. They will assess your skills and when you are competent in all areas, you will be awarded a nationally recognised qualification.

If you are still at school you can access an apprenticeship through your school. You generally start your school based apprenticeship by attending school three days a week, spending one day at a registered training organisation and one day at work. Talk to your school's VET Co-ordinator to start your training now through VET in Schools. If you get a full-time apprenticeship you can apply to leave school before reaching the school leaving age.

If you are no longer at school you can apply for an apprenticeship or traineeship and get paid while you learn and work.